Shawdesh Desk:

Veteran actor and Shabana Azmi’s mother Shaukat Kaifi passed away in Mumbai of India on Friday evening due to age-related illness at the age of 93, reports PTI.

Kaifi’s son-in-law, veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, confirmed the news of the death of the theatre and film actor.

“She was 93 and was having one problem after another. She was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. For certain days she was in the ICU and then she was out of ICU. It was all age-related,” he said.

“Ultimately they brought her home. She wanted to come back to her own room where she stayed for a day or two and then passed away. Shabana is in Mumbai,” Akhtar, who is in the US, told reporters.

The last rites will be held on Saturday noon.

Kaifi’s husband was the celebrated Urdu poet and film lyricist, Kaifi Azmi.

She and her husband were leading lights of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and the Progressive Writers Association (IWA), which were the cultural platforms of the Communist Party of India.

Besides Shabana Azmi, Kaifi is also survived by son Baba Azmi.

Also credited as Shaukat Azmi, Kaifi’s acting credits include “Bazaar”, “Umrao Jaan” and Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated film “Salaam Bombay!”.

Her last film was Shaadi Ali’s “Saathiya”.

After Kaifi Azmi’s demise in 2002, she wrote an autobiography, “Kaifi and I” which has also been adapted to a play “Kaifi aur Main”.

It premiered in Mumbai in 2006 on the fourth death anniversary of Kaifi Azmi.

The play has been performed by Shabana Azmi and Akhtar.